My F650GS twin doesn't seem to corner as well as I'd like. It wants to stand up and track straight. My tires need replacing, but would a 'flattened out' rear really keep the bike from turning well?
Must be the tires. I feel more confident on mine than I did on my old CBR. The bike feels very light and can easily be thrown into turns.
I definately noticed poor handling on mine when my stock tires became pretty worn (10700 miles on them). Cornering suffered and you seem to feel every imperfection on the road. Like stated above, get new tires and will feel like a new bike.
I'll second NaMi. Especially the rear which is more likely to be squared off. How many miles on your tires now?
My 658 corners like its on rails even with TKC knobbies. Maybe add preload to the rear for better turn in... IMO the 658 carves well and has good motor for accelerating out.
I think it really sounds like an underperforming suspension issue. The factory comes with a somewhat underwhelming soft ride. The Ricor intimidators with new aftermarker springs (Hyperpro, etc) for the front and nice aftermarket rear shock (Olins, etc) you'd have a different bike under you.
I had the same feeling while cornering when I got my 2011. My Solution http://advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=775106
Once the rear tire is flattened and becomes squared off handling becomes funky,veven if there's plenty of rubber left on the thread. Sounds like you need new tires. But also make sure the tire pressure is set correctly and the rear shock preload is adjusted to your weight, load, etc. The preload adjustment is easy and you can experiment till you get it right for you. It's set soft at the factory.
My 650 goes round corners really, really well. The original Battlewings were fine, but once they got worn down, performance really became sketchy. Going to a TKC80 on the front and a Pirelli Scorpion on the rear, I thought performance in corners might suffer. I had nothing to worry about. In fact, I think I've thrown it around corners harder with the knobbies on! The bike should track just fine, check the tyres as a first step.
